Eric’s grandmother is well known in the neighborhood for having a big heart for stray cats. His grandmother simply loves cats that she could not find it in her heart not to take care of them whenever she could.
Thus, it is no strange to find fresh milk, water, food, and cushions strategically placed in front of her home for the stray cats passing by their streets.
Eric knows very well about her granny’s soft spot for cats. Just like his grandmother’s neighbor, seeing his granny’s home filled with cat-related things is nothing new.
However, during his visit three years ago, Eric couldn’t suppress his surprise when he saw his granny’s latest adopted cat. Among the bunch of stray cats was an opossum who snuggled in one of the cushions in the corner of the room.
Without noticing it at all, Eric’s granny had welcomed an opossum in her house thinking that it was just another stray cat. To make the story even more hilarious, his granny had been keeping the ‘strange cat’ for quite some time already.
In fact, his granny could not even see why Eric was making such a big deal out of the new addition to her growing family of cats.
Finding the incident humorous and his granny’s innocence and naivety adorable, Eric posted a picture of his granny’s new ‘cat’ on Twitter.
“My grandma has been taking care of a possum these last couple months thinking it was just another cat lmaoo what is u doing grams…” Eric wrote and posted on Twitter.
In an interview with The Dodo, Eric shared how he broke the news to his charming granny.
‘“She reassured me it was one of her cats,” Eric recounted. “I told her it wasn’t what she thought it was.”
According to Eric, his granny looked at him with a confused look in his eyes when he pointed out what the strange cat was.
‘“I laughed for a good five minutes,” Eric added. “She didn’t realize what I was laughing about until I started pointing out the pointy nose and skinny tail. She didn’t realize he wasn’t a cat.”
What makes Eric granny even more adorable was when she finally realized that the latest cat she welcomed in her home is an opossum. His granny was not bothered about the strange animal she took in.
‘“She kinda just sat there,” Eric continued. “Then she got a little closer … and slowly looked up at me with the biggest grin on her face and said, ‘Well, he hasn’t bothered me yet, so I’m OK with him being here!’”
For Eric’s granny, every animal that needed to be taken care of is welcome to her home- whether it is a cat or an opossum.
‘“She loves animals and taking care of them whenever she can,” Eric shared his high opinion for his kindhearted granny. “It kind of just motivates you to do better and treat other beings better too.”
And apparently, it was not only Eric’s granny who is comfortable mingling with the opossum. It seems that the other cats were happy to welcome him as well.
For an opossum, Tete sure blends well with his adopted family. Tete loves spending time with his fellow cats and also enjoys the affection of granny. Other people believe that Tete must have been an orphan when it arrived in granny’s doorstep.
In fairness to the old woman, it seems like she couldn’t be blamed for mistaking Tete, an opossum, for a cat. After all, he arrived looking like an abandoned wet kitty (similar to the photo below) that desperately needs a warm and cozy home
Cat or opossum, one thing is for sure- Eric sure is one lucky guy to have a granny with a big, soft, and most importantly, a kind heart!
Photos via Eric Hertlein and Reddit